Day of the Dead
by Carlos Rodriguez
Summary: Jonny has an interesting encounter on the streets of Managua during the Day of the Dead Festival...


Archivers: Please ask before reposting.  
  
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own any of these characters.  
Hanna Barbera does! No profit is being made with this fanfic.  
  
This in an answer to Chrissy's Halloween challenge (the fic must use a  
song, must at least mention the Zin twins and take place in Halloween).  
Well, I used the Mexican Day of the Dead instead of Halloween, but the  
rest of the conditions are there.  
  
---------------  
Day of the Dead  
---------------  
a special Halloween fic  
by Carlos A Rodriguez  
  
The sound of bells and whistles filled the empty streets and  
the children's laughter reached the ears of Jonathan Quest. He turned  
around to see a group of children dressed in costumes. A witch, a  
skeleton and a wizard, none of them older than nine for the look of  
it.  
  
The laughter ceased as they stopped in front of a door and  
started to sing.  
  
Somos angelitos  
Del cielo bajamos  
Pedimos calabaza  
Para que comamos  
  
The door opened and a woman appeared with a bag full of  
fruit. She took some oranges and apples and handed them to the kids.  
"Que viva la tia!" they exclaimed as they shook the bells in their  
hands. Then they quickly moved to the next door and repeated the  
process.  
  
"Somewhat different from our trick or treat, uh?" a voice  
behind him asked.  
  
"You bet, Jess." he said without turning around to face the  
red haired girl. A sad smile formed in Jonny's face. He remembered  
the first time he had asked for candy in Halloween... It had been  
several years ago, and he hadn't gone alone. His mother, Rachel, had  
gone with him.  
  
But Rachel was gone. Jonny sighed. It still hurt, specially  
in special ocassions. Last night it had been Halloween. And he went  
to his friends' Halloween party and he used a flashy costume...  
but the memory of his mother lasted trough all the night.  
  
He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, is everything OK?"  
  
Jonny turned around and gave her his best grin. "Of course."  
  
Jessie smiled back. "Get moving then. We still have to get  
back to the hotel."  
  
They started walking in silence, both of them looking at the  
children that roamed trough the streets making as much noise as  
possible and screaming 'Que viva la tia!' with all their might.  
Jonny's spanish wasn't very good, but he understood the phrase.  
*Long live the aunt!*. The traditional phrase that children used  
to give thanks when they received their gifts': fruit, candy  
bars and the traditional pumpkin candy, also known as 'calabacita'.  
"Calabacita, tia!" the children asked on every door, knowing that  
such an experience wouldn't repeat itself in a year.  
  
The sound of music started to fill the air. They were closer  
now to the main street of Managua, where the annual Day of the Dead  
Festival was taking place.  
  
Then Jessie stopped.  
  
Across the street, there was a small park, filled with trees.  
But beneath each one of them there was something else.  
  
Jessie looked for incoming traffic, then she dashed to the  
park with Jonny behind him. She stopped in front of an arrangement of  
flowers. Orange and yellow flowers were carefully placed on the floor,  
forming a yellow cross in a orange square. Several candles and  
veladoras were placed inside of the arrangement, their lights burning  
brightly.  
  
In the middle of the arrangement there was a cloth covered  
table with several foods. Fruits, bread, pumpkin candy, even a small  
glass of tequila. And in the middle of the table, a black and white  
picture of an aged man.  
  
"An altar for the dead" explained Jessie as she walked trough  
the park looking at the different altars under the trees. "It looks  
like we stumbled on an altar building contest."  
  
Not two altars were alike. Each one of them had a different  
theme, each one of them dedicated to a special person. One of them were  
very humble, and some of them were downright exotic. But all of them  
had a portrait and plenty of fruits and flowers.  
  
"OK, Jess, I give up. What are these for?"  
  
Jessie smiled. "They don't call it the Day of the Dead for  
nothing, Jonny. The night of November 1st, the soul of those who  
died visit the people who loved them. The altar is like a magnet for  
them. They visit their altars and they eat and drink to gain strenght  
for the voyage that will take them back to their sleeping places...  
until next year."  
  
They had left the park now and they were walking to the main  
street now. Jessie went on. "You see, the dead never leave you after  
all. They will always be coming back as soon as people keep loving  
them. And the altar is the way people express their love and admiration  
for those who are gone."  
  
Jonny nodded. He liked the idea... Maybe he could convince  
his dad and Jess to build an altar for his mother...  
  
*****  
  
It was Jessie's gasp what made Jonny turn around.  
  
They were near the main street now. Jonny often wondered  
what would have happened if Jessie hadn't seen into that alley.  
But she had, and Jessie told him later that she felt how her blood  
had frozen.  
  
Three men were walking toward them. They were all dressed  
in dark cloaks and one of them had a wide brimmed hat over his  
head. His face was covered by a strange looking mask and his eyes  
were hidden by sunglasses. Long white hair fell from his temples.  
Below his cloak, he was wearing a skeleton costume.  
  
Being Day of the Dead, it wouldn't have been strange to see  
someone dressed like that. But both Jonny and Jessie had seen him  
before and recognized him at once.  
  
He had been human once. Now he was so insane all trace of  
humanity had dissappeared.  
  
He called himself Ezekiel Rage.  
  
Jonny quickly pulled Jessie into the shadows. "Quiet. They  
haven't seen us yet." he whispered. Jessie nodded. They weren't sure  
if Rage would recognize them, but they weren't taking any chances.  
  
The three men walked by at less than three meters from the  
teenagers. They didn't saw them, they just turned around and started  
to walk in the same direction Jessie and Jonny had been walking.  
  
Jonny started to think about what to do. If Rage was here,  
then that meant trouble. He couldn't afford to lose him. Then again,  
they weren't a match for Rage and his followers, and Jonny knew it.  
  
He had to take a decision.  
  
"Let's follow them, Jess." he whispered.  
  
"Are you insane?" she exclamed, yet keeping her voice low.  
  
"Maybe. But I don't think Rage is here to join the Festival.  
Something must be going on."  
  
Jessie sighed. Jonny knew what was she thinking. Rage was  
a very dangerous man and if he discovered them they were as good  
as dead.  
  
"Let's wait for our parents." Jessie suggested, but Jonny  
shook his head. "We'll just turn on the trackers on our Questwatches."  
he said. He quickly pressed a button on his wristwatch and a small  
light appeared on the LCD screen. He knew that in that same moment  
a strong radio signal was being transmitted that would alert his  
father that something was going wrong. That same signal would allow  
Race to pinpoint him.  
  
Jonny saw how Jessie did the same with her watch. "OK, you  
win." Then she added "Look, I know I don't use to say this, but this  
guy is crazier than the Zin twins and Surd put together." She  
looked at his eyes. "No heroics, Jonny Quest."  
  
He grinned. "Hey, it's me." Then he turned around and started  
to walk slowly trying not to loose the dark figure that was almost  
two blocks ahead now.  
  
"That is precisely what I'm worried about." Jessie said before  
she started to follow the blond-haired boy.  
  
****  
  
Rage walked unnoticed among the crowd in the Day of the Dead  
Festival. People with stranger costumes surrounded him and his  
followers. Behind them Jessie and Jonny followed their steps. Dressed  
in normal street clothes, they were easier to spot. That's why they  
tried to be as far from Rage as the crowd would allow, trying not  
to miss the man that had almost destroyed the world more than once.  
  
'Where are dad and Race?' Jonny wondered as they walked in  
the wrong direction. They were actually getting away from the hotel  
they were staying that night. That was not excuse, though. The  
emergency signal should alert Benton Quest and Race Bannon.  
  
What Jonny didn't know was that both Race and Benton had  
received the emergency signal from the watch and that they were  
also in the crowd, trying to find them.  
  
Had Rage kept walking on the same street, Race would have  
spotted his daughter and perhaps he would have captured Rage. But  
suddenly, Rage stopped. His followers did the same.  
  
"Now what?" Jessie asked, seeing Rage's actions. Then one  
of his followers gave him a small package wraped in a newspaper.  
Rage received it with his skeletical right hand and then his two  
followers scattered on the crowd. The cult leader remained in the  
middle of the street, unmoving. People was dancing and cheering  
around him, but he was just standing there, staring at nothing.  
  
Then he looked at the sky and quickly moved to the sidewalk.  
Jonny and Jessie did the same and saw how Rage dissappeared in a side  
street.  
  
"This does not look good."  
  
"Tell me something new, hotshot."  
  
But Jonny wouldn't let Rage go. He walked to the street where  
Rage had gone and when he turned around, he found there was not a  
living soul.  
  
Then he noticed the truck. His engine had just started and  
trough the rear mirror Jonny could see the outline of a familiar hat.  
  
"C'mon, Jess!" he said as he motioned toward the truck with  
his hand. He quickly dashed to the truck by its left side, hoping  
Rage wouldn't see him. He quickly jumped to the back of the vehicle.  
Jessie was just behind him and she had just leaped when the truck  
started to move.  
  
Jonny quickly reached for Jessie. Her feet found the fending  
of the truck and her hand found Jonny's. But then the truck swerved  
madly and Jessie fell to the ground.  
  
"Jessie!" he screamed as she saw the red haired girl hitting  
the pavement. Jonny saw how she rolled on the floor and then slowly  
stood up. Then the truck accelerated and she slowly dissappeared as  
the vehicle ran trough the streets of Managua.  
  
Jonny suddenly remembered that Rage was driving. He turned  
around. If he had seen him then he wasn't showing it. Jonny quickly  
threw himself on the floor, trying to hid himself.  
  
****  
  
They had left the road more than five minutes ago. The truck  
bumped madly as the wheels found several rocks in their paths. Jonny's  
body was starting to ache from the movement.  
  
Then the truck started to slow down and came to a halt. Jonny  
heard how the door opened. He also heard someone walking away.  
  
A minute passed before Jonny sat up to see his surroundings.  
They were in the desert and a soft wind was blowing. The truck was  
beside a tall cliff. A noise from far above told Jonny that there  
was traffic on the cliff. Maybe the highway passed there.  
  
But down here, not a soul moved.  
  
He didn't saw any trace of Rage. He stepped down the truck  
and walked in the same directions the steps had dissapeared. He stuck  
close to the wall of the cliff until it gave a sharp turn. Jonny  
took a deep breath and took a peek of what laid beyond the rocks.  
  
Rage was standing there, in the middle of nothing. He raised  
his head and looked at the cliff. Jonny quickly hid in the shadows,  
not before noticing that Rage wasn't looking at where he was hiding but  
at a place above the cliff. But he wasn't taking any chances.  
  
Another minute went by. 'Where is dad?' Jonny tought. His watch  
was still transmitting the emergency signal. Then he suddenly remembered  
that the ratio of the signal in his watch wasn't very wide. Maybe  
they were having trouble pinpointing his location. 'But Jessie is with  
them' he remembered with relief. She would tell his dad what direction  
the truck had taken, allowing them to narrow the search area.  
  
Jonny took another peek. Rage was walking now along the  
cliff, taking a look now and then at the higway above, as if looking  
for something. Jonny decided to follow him.  
  
It wasn't the wisest choice Jonny had ever taken.  
  
Once again he remained as close to the cliff as he could be,  
moving slowly. Rage stopped once again, and this time he kneeled  
on the ground.  
  
It was them when Jonny stepped on the branch.  
  
Jonny would have cursed himself mentally if he hadn't been  
so scared. As soon as his foot broke the dry branch in two Rage quickly  
stood up, looked directly at him and ran toward the intruder.  
  
Jonny quickly turn around to escape but a hand grabbed him  
by the shoulders. The same hand made him turn around and Jonny found  
himself reflected in Rage's dark glasses.  
  
"Who are you?" his voice boomed. Jonny was frozen, so Rage  
asked again. "Who are you!?!?"  
  
Then Rage hit him on the stomach. The young man fell to the  
floor, gasping for breath.  
  
"You've been following me, haven't you?" Rage cried out.  
"Who sent you? The same people who sent the red haired girl? Speak!"  
  
But it wasn't so easy. Air was starting to fill Jonny's lungs,  
so even if he had wanted to reply his voice wouldn't have obeyed. But  
Rage didn't give him time. He kicked him on the chest and a sharp pain  
filled Jonny's body.  
  
He started to roll on the ground, trying to get away from the  
madman. But Rage grabbed him by his neck and raised him two feet above  
the ground.  
  
"Why can't you just leave me alone? WHY?????"  
  
Jonny felt the cold metal of Rage's artificial limb on his  
throat. His captor was increasing the pressure and his lungs started  
to cry for air.  
  
"I should end your life right now!"  
  
He couldn't breathe anymore. His face started to change   
color as Rage's mechanical hand hardened its death grip on his troath.  
The pain on his chest was almost unsoportable as well. Blackness  
started to fill his sight...  
  
Then, suddenly, Rage threw Jonny against the wall of the cliff.  
  
He hit the rock hard. He quickly tried to get up, but a sharp  
pain blinded him for a moment. Jonny didn't know then, but he had a  
broken rib. All that Jonny knew was that if he didn't get up soon,  
then he was a goner.  
  
He tried once again to stand up, but the pain was too strong.  
He fell to the ground as Rage watched him struggle. He quickly turned  
around and looked at the night sky. He was some meters away from the  
boy and Jonny was seeing him sideways.  
  
Jonny suddenly gasped. Rage's hand dissappeared on the pocket.  
of his coat. Jonny closed his eyes, wondering if he would hear the  
shot before the bullet hit him. But nothing happened. Jonny opened  
his eyes very slowly, expecting to see a weapon in the hands of his  
enemy.  
  
But it wasn't a gun. It was a small package that Jonny  
recognized as the one his follower had given to him on the main  
street. Slowly, Rage unwrapped it and threw the newspaper away.  
  
A small glass filled with wax was on Rage's hand. A 'veladora'.  
Rage kneeled and lighted the wick with a match. Then his hand returned  
to his coat and this time he extracted a small rose and a picture.  
  
The wind was blowing softly, yet the glass kept the light  
from the veladora from disappearing, letting Jonny see how Rage  
carefully placed the picture under the wax filled vase and the rose  
beside it. Rage stayed there without moving for some minutes.  
Then his lips slowly started to move. Jonny could only hear some  
words, but he didn't believe his ears. Rage... was praying?  
  
His lips stopped, and then Jonny saw something he would  
never forget in his life. A small tear ran down Rage's cheek.  
And he moved his lips again. Jonny didn't hear the words, but he  
would identify the movement of his lips later when he recognized the  
picture under the veladora. "Abby... Carla..."  
  
Then he stood up, his imposing figure covering the moon and  
throwing a shadow at Jonny. He turned his head around and stood there,  
watching the young boy, as if wondering what should he do now...  
  
"No one will die in this place. Not anymore."  
  
And he walked off, vanishing slowly in the darkness. Jonny  
couldn't see him anymore, but he heard his voice as he gave him a last  
message. "There shall be time for grief and there shall be time for  
revenge. So sayeth the Book of Rage!"  
  
  
----  
(c) 1997, Carlos Rodriguez 


End file.
